Mourning Bells
by mirberry
Summary: Treason AU. Before Zero Reverse, the infant Yusei Fudo and his family managed to escape to safety, and they live comfortably in the Tops. In Satellite below, dissatisfaction reigns supreme in the heart of Kyosuke Kiryu, and he's intent on doing anything to right that wrong; even if it means traveling a very dangerous road.


Heavy rainclouds hung low and gray over the skies of Neo Domino City, as they had all day. The sun was completely blotted out by their miserable yet enduring presence, and the scent of rain clung to the air, though it had yet to fall upon anything.

Beneath a faraway rumble of thunder, the loudspeaker system, usually only used for emergencies, crackled to life throughout the city, coating the stormy din in a barely audible yet clearly mechanical hum.

"To the citizens of Neo Domino City," the voice of Rex Godwin, Director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, fell over the hushed silence that consumed the city. "Today we take a moment to remember the lives that were lost to us on this day twelve years ago, in the disaster that was 'Zero Reverse.' To the tens of thousands whose lives were lost, we promise to never forget, and to carry and cherish their memories with us for as long as we may."

The same speech played over the speakers on the television that was mounted on the wall of the Fudo home. From where he sat at the kitchen table, working on his weekend homework, he could see Rex Godwin's solemn expression; his head bowed low and his eyes downcast.

"Turn it off." His father murmured from the couch, hiding his head in his hands as he did every year. "Just turn it off."

Quietly, his wife obliged, turning off the television just as it had moved to a shot of the people standing behind Godwin; a politician's family with a young daughter. Yusei had caught a glimpse of her red hair before the screen flickered off.

Every year it was the same; his father urged for it to be turned off while his mother patiently sat beside him and rubbed his back, resting her head on his shoulder. 'It's not your fault,' she'd whisper soothingly, and like clockwork, he would reply, 'But I could have stopped it.'

Yusei didn't understand how he could stop an act of god, but his father seem so convinced that if anyone had the power to, it was going to be him. Maybe his research team at the time had been studying earthquakes, and he'd gotten a weird reading? He was always too afraid to ask, worried that it would make his father react like this even on a day other than Remembrance Day.

"Yusei," his mother called over to him at the table, "Why don't you go finish up your homework in your room? I'll start on lunch, and we can all eat together, since your dad has the day off."

"Okay." Without argument, he swept his things off of the table and carried them away, just as the rain outside began to fall over the city in sweeping curtains.

* * *

The roof of the hideout leaked disgusting rainwater over the mattress where Jack Atlas lay dying. No matter how Kiryu and Crow had maneuvered the dingy thing, there was always water leaking in from someplace on top of their ailing friend, and so Kiryu had resorted to making the sniffling Crow hold a rusty pot over top of Jack so that he could be spared the feeling of water dripping onto his burning, aching skin.

If they'd been someplace closer to where Martha lived, Kiryu could have gotten Jack to the doctor there easily. The number of patrolling Security officers had between where they were and where they needed to be, however, was too much. The gunshot wound from their scuffle with a trigger-happy Security officer had become infected, and before long, blood poisoning had set in. Jack was in too much agony to be moved, and from the time Kiryu had decided that all they could do was make him comfortable, Crow had done nothing but weep.

"It isn't fair," Kiryu scowled, holding onto Jack's hand. "You were the one who wanted out of this hellhole more than any of us."

"I'll get to, now," Jack rasped, the bitter tone to his voice still present behind the pain that weighed down every syllable and breath. "Just... not the way I wanted."

Crow inhaled sharply, and Kiryu's scowl only grew. He was getting annoyed with the tears and the helplessness and waiting around for Jack to die, but he wasn't going to leave him, not when they didn't have anything but each other.

"I'll make sure that son of a bitch pays, Jack. You were innocent. You didn't steal that deck off of his damn D-Wheel." Kiryu swore. He reached over and gently brushed Jack's bangs away from his face; they were damp with sweat from his fever.

"Kiryu, don't do anything stupid. You still have to get out." He choked out. Jack grabbed onto Kiryu's hand with a grip that would take up so much of the rapidly depleting reserves of strength he might have had left.

"You have to get Crow and get out of here for me. Promise me."

By now, Crow's sniffles and whines had grown into full on sobs, and fat, round tears rolled down his cheeks and hit the floor underneath him. Kiryu felt Crow's eyes flick from him back over to Jack, who only stared at him determinedly. Even now, on death's door, he had nothing but determination in that stupid violet gaze of his.

He hated how much he'd miss those eyes.

"I promise. I'll get myself and Crow out. No matter how long it takes." Kiryu relented finally, and as expected, Jack's expression softened. His eyes slipped closed, though his chest still rose and fell with each labored breath.

With nothing left to say, Kiryu began to sing. It wasn't much of a song; a lullaby that he remembered from before everything went to hell, when there was nothing of note worth remembering. His voice was raspy with tears that he wouldn't shed, not where Crow could see, but he kept on, even going so far as to make up words where he had forgotten the original ones.

"I think he's gone, Kiryu." Crow whimpered, tugging the rain-filled pot away from where he'd held it vigilantly. A clap of thunder shook the concrete building, sending vibrations through the floor underneath them and walls around them, but it wasn't enough to send it crumbling down. Even if it had been, Kiryu wouldn't have cared.

"... I'm gonna keep my promise, you know. I'm gonna get us out."

"Kiryu?"

Kiryu released Jack's hand and rose to his feet, towering tall over his redheaded friend.

"I don't know how yet—but I'm going to get both of us out of this shithole, even if it takes me the rest of my life!" He shouted, his voice louder than the thunder and onslaught of rain.

"But first... I have to make sure that idiot cop pays. Jack paid for a mistake with his life... it's only fair that he pay for his mistake with his."

* * *

_next: _

"_Keep quiet and do as I say, or I'm going to blow your goddamned head off." _

_The criminal's voice was so smooth and quite and sure that Yusei knew in an instant two things: one, that he was absolutely insane, and two, that he meant every word that he said. _


End file.
